Is the difference between OLED and LCD models really that big?

the OLED version has a more efficient CPU and fan resulting in a quieter fan noise
if you only play with headphones or only play lesser graphical games like Slay the Spire or Brotato you probably barely would notice the difference though

I just upgraded from LCD to OLED. I would say the difference in battery is significant, and the blacks/colours are also very nice. Reduced screen bezels means that the oled is a slightly larger screen too.

I'm a person that played the LCD deck every day, and I would say these changes in the OLED are worth it for me.

Context: I've got a gaming PC with a 3070ti in it, that gets ignored most of the time now, and that was true when I only had the LCD deck.

I have both. I do not think the OLED version is twice as nice, though it is noticeably improved.

If the cost is an issue, but doable, consider getting the LCD deck and putting the extra cash toward a TV dock and Bluetooth controller. The deck is awesome on the go (just took mine on vacation - 10/10) but it's also a fantastic console in its own right. I play a lot of PC games on my couch, even though my I have a decent desktop PC available.

Either one you purchase though, the Steam deck is the best gaming device I've ever owned. Access to the vast Steam library (even if not all titles are compatible yet), access to install whatever else TF I want - even competing stores, emulation nevermind.

It's just... 🤯

Really depends on your use case and whether you have a spare buck for it. In my case I had money to throw at it and went OLED. Not super impressed, but the responsetime is near instant which still amazes me. Black really is black as well. If you got some spare cash to thow at it, might be worth it if you enjoy HDR content for example. If you don't really have/are on a tight budget: go IPS, still a better choice for quality/price imho.

In addition to battery life, colors, and screen size that others have mentioned, I think the weight reduction on OLED when I upgraded was actually the biggest thing that shocked me.

It's not immensely different, but if you use it daily, it's lighter enough than the original model to make a noticeable difference and just makes playing so much more comfortable, especially for longer periods.

I would not have expected the weight reduction to be this big a deal, but it really is for me.

Everything is a little nicer. I don't think it's worth it for most people to upgrade though.

The only thing that would truly make it worth it (imo) is the improved battery life. If you like playing really demanding games on the go (Baldur's Gate, Cyberpunk, etc), the OLED gets ~2.5 hours of battery life while the original deck gets ~1.5. That's a huge improvement, and is the main thing that could justify the OLED deck imo.

The OLED model takes the original and turns it from great to excellent.

I have the OG Steam Deck (one so "old" it had the Delta fan from the factory which I swapped for the better one) and while tempting, I didn't upgrade (yet?).

I'm strictly using the Deck to complement my desktop PC, so I don't have that many hours on the device. If it was my primary gaming device, I would've probably upgraded already.

Efficiency improvements and a bigger battery are nice and noticeable, and so is the way better screen obviously. I wouldn't say it's a completely different experience though and the OLED model isn't perfect either. I would've liked to see a VRR panel for example as the Deck struggles hard to keep a somewhat consistent frame rate with many bigger modern titles.

The oled version has some changes to the internal chassis due to a the thinner screen which allowed for a larger battery which is a big win. It also apparently has improvements to the ram causing better performance and a smaller cpu die.

Gamers nexus did a comparison and found it is quite a bit better than the original.

https://gamersnexus.net/handheld-pcs/valve-goes-hard-steam-deck-oled-review-benchmarks-vs-asus-rog-ally-z1-extreme-deck-lcd

I don't care enough to upgrade, personally, and i also keep a windows partition for EAC games, and the OLED doesn't have good windows drivers

Outside of the major changes of the screen and battery, there's minor changes in pretty much every area of the OLED. Whether that's worth it depends. For me, the Deck was my main device, and for that it was completely worth selling the old model and upgrading. If it won't be your primary gaming device or it will almost always be docked (so not benefiting from the screen or battery), then maybe not. In either case, the power is basically identical and some software changes have been made to massively improve the LCD screen, so you really can't go wrong.

We split the difference and went with QLED. Mainly because OLED is marginally less good in brighter environments, and we get sunlight in the room where the screen is. It didn’t hurt that QLED was a significant cost savings as well. For my viewing, I’m just as happy with the QLED. However, if you’re using it as a monitor where you are physically closer to the screen, OLED contrast may serve you better.

For me, the OLED screen alone already justified the purchase.

I don’t have the OLED version but I would hands down get it if

1. My wallet allows me to
2. I didn’t already have my SD for more than a year.

However if you’re tight on budget, the lcd is a great not-so “little” device to kill time.

Look at the estimated runtime and decide for yourself